Multiple fuse plug



Aug. 19, 1924. J E' ER 1,505,464

MULTIPLE FUSE PLUG Filed NOV. 5, 1920 I IN VEN TOR. M 11 ATTOR EY Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,505,464 PATENT OFFICE.

J'ONAH E. HORNER,'OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGN'OR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A. HAYT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MULTIPLE rusn PLUG.

Application filed November 3, 1920. Serial No. 421,483.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONAH E. HORNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Multiple Fuse Plug, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric fuse plugs and is particularly directed to plugs adapted to be inserted into standard types of screwthreaded electric sockets.

The object of the invention is to provide a multiple fuse plug in which any one of a series of fuse wires may be connected in the circuit, and to provide such a plug with manipulative means whereby, when one fuse wire is burned out or rendered ineffective, a connection is made with another fuse wire of the series; also to produce a device of this kind having a construction which will facilitate the assembling of its parts; and to provide a construction in which the remaining unblown fuses will be plainly visible.

Various other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which form a part of this disclosure, and which illustrate a preferred form of embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 is an enlarged top plan view.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on line X X Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan section approximately on line X -X of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan section on line X Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 2, of a modified form of construction.

Fig. 6 is a plan section on line X-X of Fig. 5.

Fuse plugs of the general type to which this invention relates are adapted to be screwed into the standard type of electric sockets and are usually provided with a metal sleeve pressed to form screwthreads and serving as one side of the line, and a central metal contact serving as the opposite side of the line, with a fuse wire connecting the sleeve and contact to complete the circuit, said fuse wire being of the nature of a circuit breaking safety device adapted to be melted or burned out by the heat generated by a circuit overload.

These plugs, as now on the market, are provided with a transparent mica top so that the condition of the fuse wire may be ascertained and the device is permanently sealed so that the fuse wire cannot be renewed, therefore, when the fuse wire has been burned out or otherwise rendered inefiective, the plug is discarded and a new plug inserted in its place. In this manner an immense quantity of such plugs, which are perfect with the exception of the broken fuse wire, are destroyed annually.

To overcome this useless waste to a large extent, the plug of the present invention contemplates the provision of a series of fuse wires contained within a single casing and so arranged that the fuse wires may be selectively connected in the circuit.

With particular reference to Figs. 1 to of the drawings, 1 designates a hollow body of porcelain, glass or other insulating material, providing a fuse chamber 2, and having an end wall 3 of reduced diameter, said end wall having peripheral notches t and defining an annular shoulder 5. Surrounding the body is a metal sleeve 7 serving as one terminal of the plug and having an inturned lower edge engaging beneath the shoulder 5 and provided with tongues 8 projecting inwardly into the notches 4 to prevent the sleeve turning relative to the body. The side wall of the sleeve 7 is pressed to form screwthreads 9 of a form and size adapted to cooperate with the} screwthreads of the standard forms of electric sockets and the upper edge of the sleeve is turned outwardly to form an annular flange 10 having at spaced intervals downturned tongues 11.

Surrounding the upper portion of the sleeve 7 is an annular ring 12 also formed of porcelain, glass or other insulating material and having a hub portion 13 of reduced diameter defining a shoulder 14. The inner peripheral portion of the top surface of said ring is countersunk to provide a seat 15 and at spaced intervals said seat is recessed to provide pockets 16, the flange 10 of the metal sleeve 7 resting upon the seat 15 and the tongues 11 thereof engaging into said pockets to prevent turning of the ring 12 relative to the sleeve.

A translucent cover plate or window 17, preferably of mica, serves as a top closure fm' the fuse chamber and rests upon the annular ring 12, and said window is retained in place by a metal ring 18, the lower edge of said ring being turned under the shoulder 14 of the ring 12. At spaced intervals the shoulder 14 is notched and the lower inturned edge of the ring '18 is depressed into said notches, as indicated at 19, so that the ring 18 will not turn on the ring 12. At spaced intervals coincident w th the! pockets 16 of the ring 12, the flange 10 of the metal sleeve is provided with apertures 20, in the present instance there belng eight such apertures and pockets. Into these, apertures are inserted the upper ends of fuse'wires 21 and said wires are secured to the sleeve by soldering or by having their ends within the pockets 16 swa ed or riveted over to form enlarged or all ends. as indicated at -22. The fuse wires extend downwardly into the fuse chamber 2 and their lower ends are each secured to one of a series of circumferentially spaced fuse contacts 23 which are carried by an annular fuse plate or anchor plate 24. Said fuse plate is formed of insulatlng material and seats upon a shoulder or shelf 25 formed on the wall of the body and is friction tight, that is, it is held in place by having a driving fit in the bore of the body.

While the specific form of the contacts 23 may be variously modified and the fuse wires attached thereto in any desired manner, I prefer to form the contacts as shown, they being sheet metal stampings,1n1t1ally formed with straight shanks and the shanks 1nserted into the holes in the fuse plate and then beaded over the top surface of the plate. The preferable manner of attaching the lower ends of the fuse wires 21 to the contacts is to force said wires into the contacts so that the lower ends expand into the .hollow heads of the contacts to form an anchoring'bead.

The manipulative mechanism for completing the circuit comprises a central metal terminal or contact post 27 journaled in the end wall 3 of the body and having a head 28 adapted to engage the central contact of the standardelectricsockets. The post 27 has attached thereto by drive fit or otherwise, a spring contact finger 29 positioned within the fuse chamber beneath the fuse plate 24 and radially extended to circular alinement with the series of contacts 23. The upper end of the post 27 is knurled and attached thereto bydrive fit is a spindle or post 30, preferably of fiber or hard rubber, and said 0st 30 extends through and is journaled 1n the window 17. Outside the window or top plate the post 30 terminates with a suitable knob 31 which may be of any suitable shape and may be knurled to afford a secure hand hold for manipulation.

An alining pointer or finger 32 of spring metal is driven into a transversely drilled A 1,505,4ei

hole in the knob 31 and has an overlapping contact on the top surface of the metal retaining ring 12, said ring havin raised ridges 33 spaced coincident with t e positions of the several fuse wires'and the finger 32 being positioned relative to the contact finger 29 so that as the finger 32 engages one of the ridges 33 the contact finger 29 will coincidentally engage one of the fuse contacts 23. .The tension of the pointer 32 is such that in the effort of forcing it over the ridges 33 the operator can by sense of touch accurately manipulate the device in the dark or without looking at the plug.

It will be understood that in the operation of the device, when one fuse wire has become broken, the knob 31 is turned until the fin er or pointer 32 registers with the next ri e 33, the contact finger 29 then engaging tfie next corresponding fuse contact 23 to complete the circuit through a new fuse wire.

With reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, the modified form of plug comprises the same manipulative device as does the above described plug, the construction of the body or casing being the only point of difference. In said figures, the casing comprises the metal screwthreaded sleeve 7" having the inturned bottom flange engaging between two bottom plates 3*3 of fiber, hard rubber or other similar insulating material. A short sleeve 25 likewise of fiber is forced into the metal sleeve 7, resting upon the bottom plate 3 and forming a supporting ledge for the fuse plate 24. A. cylinder 1" formed of corrugated fiber or heavy shellac treated cardboard, is positioned upon the fuse plate and the fuse wires 21 extend upwards in the channels formed by the corrugations (see Fig. 6). The upper ends of the fuse wires 21' are attached, as by soldering, to the upper surface of the top flange of the metal sleeve 7 and the mica window top plate 17 a is retained in place in the body and the insulating ring 12, by the metal ring 18*. The pointer or indicator arm 32 engages the raised alining knobs 33 to assist in the accurate setting of the knob 31".

By reason of the fact that the outer ends of the fuses are located at the open end of the bod and close to the translucent cover plate, t e fuses that are still intact can be readily seen from the exterior.

While the form of mechanism here shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the particular forms of embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a multiple fuse plug, the combination of a cylindrical body having a fuse chamber therein pen at one end and having a head at the other end with a shoulder adjacent the head, a metal sleeve enveloping the body and having threads formed thereon for attachment to an electric socket, a fuseplate, seated on the said shoulder, a plurality of fuses disposed circumferentially within the fuse chamber with their inner ends insulated from each other and attached to the fuse-plate, and having their outer ends extending to the open end of the body and connected to the sald metal sleeve, a cover late secured over the open end of the b0 y, a spindle rotatably mounted in the cover plate and carrying a metallic contact-arm between the head and said fuselate, and a contact post mounted in the hea and in contact with the contact arm.

2. In a multiple fuse plug, the combination of a cylindrical body having a fuse chamber therein open at one end and havin a head at the other end with a shoulder a jacent the head, a metal sleeve enveloping the body and having a flange at its outer end adjacent the outer end of the body with openings therethrough, a fuse-plate seated on the said shoulder, a plurality of fuses disposed circumferentially within the fuse chamber with their inner ends insulated from each other and extending through the fuse-plate, and having their outer ends extending through the open end of the body and attached res ectively in the said openings in the said ange, a cover-plate secured over the open end of the body and extending over the said flange, a spindle rotatably mounted in the cover-plate and carrying a metallic contact arm between the head and the fuse-plate to cooperate with the inner ends of the fuses, and a contact 0st mounted in the head and in contact wlth the contact arm.

3. In a multiple fuse plug, the combination of a cylindrical body having a fuse chamber therein open at one end and having a head at the other end with a shoulder adjacent the head, a metal sleeve enveloping the body and having threads formed there-' on for attachment to an electricsocket, said sleeve having a flange at its outer end adjacent the open end of the body with a plurality of openings therein, a fuse-plate friction tight in the said chamber and seating on the said shoulder, a plurality of fuses disposed circumferentially within the fuse chamber with their inner ends insulated and extending below the fuse plate and having their outer ends extending through the open end of the body and extending respectively through the said openings in the flange, a cover plate secured over the open end of the body and over the said flange, a spindle r0 tatably mounted in the cover plate and carrying a metallic contact arm between the head and the fuse-plate, and a contact post mounted in the head and in contact with the contact arm. 4. In a multiple fuse plug, the combination of a cylindrical body having a fuse chamber therein open at one end and havmg a head at the other end with a shoulder adjacent the head, a metal sleeve enveloping the body and having threads formed thereon for attachment to an electric socket, said sleeve having a flange adjacent the open end of the body with a plurality of openings therethrough, an insulating ring received over the shell and having an annular recess receiving the said flange, a fuse plate seated on the said shoulder, a plurality of fuses disposed circumferentially within the fuse chamber with their inner ends insulated from each other and extending below the fuse plate, and having their outer ends extendlng through the open end of the body and attached respectively to the flange at the sald openings, a translucent cover plate seating on the said ring and closing the open end of said body, means for securing the same to said ring, a spindle rotatably mounted in the cover plate and carrying a metallic contact arm between the head and the fuse plate, and a contact post mounted in the head and in contact with the contact arm.

5. In a multiple fuse plug, the combination of a cylindrical body having a fuse chamber therein open at one end and having a head at the other end with a shoulder adjacent the head, a metal sleeve enveloping the body and having threads formed thereon for attachment to an electric socket, a fuse plate seated on said shoulder, a plurality of fuses disposed circumferentially Within the fuse chamber with their inner ends insulated from each other, attached to the fuse plate and extending below the same, and aving their outer ends extending to the open end of the body and attached to the metal sleeve, a cover-plate secured over the open end of the body, and a contact post mounted in the head and having a knurled inner end, a spindle rotatably mounted in the cover plate having a bore to receive and make a tight fit with the knurled end of said contact post, and a metallic contact arm carried by the spindle to cooperate with the fuses and in metallic contact with the contact post.-

6. In a multiple fuse plug, the combination of a cylindrical body having a fusechamber therein open at one end and having a head at the other end with a shoulder adjacent the head, a metal sleeve enveloping the body and having threads formed thereon for attachment to an electric socket, said sleeve having a flange at its outer end with a lurality of openings therein, a ring seat- 1ng over the metallic sleeve and having an annular recess receiving the said flange, a cover plate seating on the ring closing the open end of the bed and secured to the said ring, an insulating use plate fitting tight in the said chamber and seating on said shoulder, a plurality of fuses disposed circumferentially Within the fuse chamber with their inner ends extending through the fuse plate, and having their outer ends extending through the open end of the body and connected to the said flange at said openings, respectively, a spindle rotatably mounted in the cover plate, and having a; bore at its inner end, a contact post with a knurled inner end received ti htly in the bore of the spindle and a meta lie contact arm rigid with the spindle, located between the head 1 and the fuse plate to cooperate with the fuse and in contact with the contact post.

Signed at Los Angeles, California this 23d day of October 1920.

J ONAH E. HORNER. Witnesses:

CLARENCE B. FOSTER, LEONARD S. LYON. 

